Government / Politics
Massachusetts Governor Says Safety Funds Won’t be Tied to MBTA Communities Compliance
Gov. Healey faced backlash for requiring local fire departments to confirm compliance with the zoning law to receive state funds.
Minneapolis Activists Use DIY Traffic Circles to Identify, Slow ICE
Residents are using the pop-up roundabouts to slow traffic and make their presence known on Minneapolis streets.
Atlanta Suburbs are Legislating Against Corporate Landlords
Before President Trump took up the cause, Atlanta-area municipalities sounded the alarm on institutional housing investors.
Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan Calls for $1B Fund, Expanded Renter Protections, Homebuyer Assistance
Gov. Shapiro’s proposed plan would bolster support for renters and homebuyers and reduce barriers to housing development.
Judge Delays Restoration of Gateway Tunnel Funding
The judge that ordered the administration to release federal funds for the New York-New Jersey tunnel project approved a temporary stay, delaying the release by at least a few more days.
EPA Guts Emissions Regulations
The agency is eliminating the endangerment finding that underpins the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Reclaiming Transportation as a Place of Resistance
The systems that move us are not neutral — and we don’t have to pretend like they are.
Rebuilding After Fire, Altadena is Designing Public Spaces With Healing and Community in Mind
In the wake of the Eaton fire, Altadena is rebuilding its parks, libraries, and gathering places through innovative, people-centered design that prioritizes healing, flexibility, and the restoration of everyday community life.
New DOT Beautification Council Will Guide the Aesthetics of Transportation Infrastructure
The council is tasked with creating a design guidebook to align with Trump’s preference for neoclassical architecture.
Paradise Lost, Paradise Found: Planning for People Rather Than Cars in Hawai'i
With better planning Honolulu can become an active travel paradise. Replace car sewers with pedestrian promenades, and build urban villages where it is easy to get around without driving.
Amsterdam is First World Capital to Ban Ads for Fossil Fuels on Public Infrastructure
Several other Dutch cities have banned advertising for harmful or polluting industries on city-owned properties.
LA County Adopts First Heat Action Plan
LA County has adopted its first Heat Action Plan, a long-term, people-centered framework to reduce heat risks, protect public health, and adapt communities, homes, and public spaces to a hotter and more dangerous climate.
LA Proposal Would Forcibly Remove Unhoused People Near Olympic Venues
Los Angeles County sent city officials a report outlining strategies for clearing homeless encampments, but advocates point out that the report itself notes there are not enough shelte resources to accommodate all unhoused residents.
January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
New York and New Jersey enact new tenant protections, Brightline West announces an opening date, and could a Nevada law have killed tens of thousands of trees?
Trump DOT Wants to Ban Free Buses
The department wants to prevent cities that receive funds from the Federal Transit Administration from offering free transit fares.
House Bill Would Incentivize Housing Near Transit
The Build HUBS Act intends to make federal funding for TOD more available and streamline permitting for transit-adjacent housing.
HUD Orders Houston to Submit Plan for Fixing Mismanaged Affordable Housing System
The Houston Housing Authority recently rebranded with a new name, a new CEO, and a new financial team after years of complaints about mismanagement and a lack of transparency.
DOT Will Use AI to Write “Good Enough” Regulations: “We’re Flooding the Zone”
The agency wants to speed up the rulemaking process to as little as 30 days.
AI for Planners Explained: Urban Digital Twins
When AI stops talking and starts showing.
HUD Threatens Sanctions for Housing Authorities That Don’t Verify Resident Immigration Status
The Trump administration continues its crackdown on undocumented immigrants, claiming it is “rooting out abuse of taxpayer-funded resources.”
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
